System, finished just hours before exhibit opened, automatically feeds patrons audio about artifacts as they approach

Last Modified:
11:42 p.m. 10/15/2002
By Phil Anderson
The Capital-Journal


Opening-day visitors to "Czars: 400 Years of Imperial Grandeur" on Tuesday were dazzled by the quality of the the Kansas International Museum's audio-narration system -- the first of its kind in the United States.

Guests may have been even more impressed had they known technicians finished the audio work shortly before the museum opened to the public Tuesday morning.

The system was developed by the German-based Sennheiser Electronic Corp. Technicians from Sennheiser's offices in Old Lyme, Conn., installed the system with help from Smith Audio-Visual in Topeka.

Because of the last-minute arrival of audio text files used for narration, final touches were completed just before the "Czars" exhibit opened at Kansas International Museum at West Ridge Mall, 1801 S.W. Wanamaker.

Workers from Sennheiser and Smith Audio-Visual worked late into the night on Monday, then were back at the museum at 5 a.m. Tuesday to make sure the system was ready to go.

"One of the things that was really neat was the headset system," said Shelly Cinalli, of Olathe, one of 33 members of the New Friends of Kansas City group who visited the museum Tuesday afternoon. "It was very nice, and it worked very well."

Pat Ehlert, of Overland Park, another member of New Friends of Kansas City, went one better, calling it "the best sound system I've used in a museum."

Immediately after entering the museum, visitors were given Walkman-sized receivers on a neck strap and headphones to use as they moved from one exhibit to the next.

Radio signals and magnetic fields combined to start the narration at selected exhibits. Most narrations last about 30 seconds.

The sound faded on the headphone when a visitor moved from an exhibit before the narration was complete. Patrons could hit a reset button to start the narration again.

Each receiver worked separately from others in use at the same time, which meant visitors could hear narration on their headphones on an individual basis.

Narration always started at the beginning of the text for visitors at each of about 80 exhibits where sound was available.

Visitors didn't have to adjust the receiver they wore on a neck band or touch any buttons to start the narration.

The freedom from having to adjust the receiver is one of guidePORT's main appeals, said Uwe Sattler, technical manager for Sennheiser Electronic.

"It's a hands-off system that does not require any visitor interaction, so it does not distract you from what you came here to see," Sattler said. "That's what makes it unique."

Sattler, who has been in Topeka helping to oversee the project for the past several weeks, said it was put together "under enormous time pressure."

Audio text files with narration by Bill Kurtis came in later than anticipated on Monday night. Also, museum exhibits were being shuffled after the wireless system was in place, meaning it, too, had to be moved, Sattler said.

"You get the cards you're dealt," Sattler said, "and you have to play them."

Sattler said the guidePORT system would be in place for future attractions at the Kansas International Museum and could be customized to meet the unique needs of each exhibit.

It also can handle several different narration options simultaneously, including non-English languages and child-appropriate wording.

"It's up to the museum if they want to change anything," Sattler said. "The system is extremely flexible, and it's easily upgradable."

On Tuesday, 800 receivers and headphones were in place. Ultimately, the museum will have 1,500 of the sets to accommodate crowds projected to be as large as 6,000 people on weekend days.

Sattler praised museum officials for having the foresight to select guidePORT even before they could see it in use on a large-scale basis.

Betty Simecka, president and chief executive officer of Cultural Exhibitions and Events Inc., said a children's audio version is in the works. If the need materializes, audio in different languages also may be considered.

Larry E. Heilman, president and senior sales engineer for Smith Audio-Visual, said his company responded as needs arose in assisting with electronics installation at the museum.

Ten days ago, he said, he learned wireless alarms were needed on all display cases at the museum. Smith Audio-Visual had 24 hours to get the system to the museum and install it.

Smith Audio-Visual also did electronics work for the museum's surveillance, controlled-access and theater packages.

"We did a little bit of everything," Heilman said Tuesday afternoon, "and it all worked flawlessly."

© Copyright 2002 Morris Digital Works and The Topeka Capital-Journal.